The Jock, the Cheerleader, and the Outcast- Union
by Master-Magician
Summary: Companion piece to The Jock, The Cheerleader, and The Outcast. A collection of one-shots centered around the triad pairing of Trini/Kimberly/Jason, but will contain some of Trini/Kimberly, Jason/Kimberly, and Jason/Trini too.
1. First Date

**I wracked my brain nonstop trying to figure out how to continue The Jock, the Cheerleader, and the Outcast and came up with nothing until last night. I asked myself- "why don't I just do what I did with my other triad ship Package Deal?"**

 **Create a collection of one-shots that is.**

 **And here we are.**

 **It would be better if you read The Jock, The Cheerleader, and The Outcast, as it sets this collection up but you can skip it if you want to go right to the triad pairing. One other thing, there is no set order for these one-shots. I'm making chapters as I have ideas (or get suggestions) so there is no actual chronological order and most will likely be independent of each other.**

 **Enjoy.**

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"Jason, we have got to have a sit down about your musical tastes." Kimberly shook her head as she fiddled with the dials and buttons of the radio. The music playing was nothing Trini recognized, but she wasn't' really paying all that much attention.

"What's wrong with my music?" Being stopped at a red light, Jason took the time to turn his head to see what his girlfriend was doing. "Hey! Be gentle! I don't need that breaking too."

"Not sure how much more broken down this clunker of yours can go before it just flatlines." Trini added from across Kimberly at the window seat.

"Ha!" Kimberly jabbed Jason in the leg with her finger. "Even our girlfriend has you pegged, Jason!"

Our girlfriend, two deceptively simple words that still threw Trini for a loop whenever she heard them. Not that it wasn't nice, Trini didn't have to hide her affections for her two friends quite so much, but the whole deal was still just… weird.

Poor Jason probably had it worst. The guy was just so noble, so loyal. He had full permission to do couple things with another girl and he had the hardest time getting that. Kimberly found it adorable and endearing. Trini had to agree, not that she would admit that out loud.

On the reverse, Kimberly had it the best. No shocker seeing as how this whole arrangement was her idea. Despite her difficulty with being touched, Trini had been the target of many hugs from Kimberly. These were not the quick we're-just-close-friends kind of embraces either. More like holding tightly and not wanting to let go. To Trini's own bewilderment, the Latina found she wasn't quite as appalled by physical contact when it was from Jason or Kimberly.

Then there were the kisses! Dear lord, Trini at first thought Kimberly was making it her mission to make Trini blush as hard heavily as possible. The pink ranger didn't even need to use full lip contact kisses either. Head, temple, cheek, none of these places were sacred. As much as Trini loved getting payback, Kimberly had the additional superpower of turning Trini into a flustered mess with a look.

When Trini asked Jason about this, with Kimberly way out of earshot, the red ranger just told her Kimberly was just being playful. Kimberly apparently rather enjoyed her girlfriend's reactions.

Much to the irritation of Kimberly, the trio did have to hide quite a bit but not from each other. It had only been about a week and a half since their mutual confessions out by the mines, but even the three of them knew they couldn't exactly go shouting their relationship from the rooftops.

None of their parents would have been exactly accepting, but Trini shuddered just imagining what her mom would say or, heaven forbid, do. All it took was a single tiny implication that Trini might have a girl she liked and boom, the Kwan family moved again. While the last time this happened was years ago, Trini did not want history repeating itself.

Jason and Kimberly understood Trini's need for secrecy, but Kimberly made it no secret how much she hated the sneaking around. Jason did too, but the red ranger was a little cooler headed compared to their girlfriend.

Most of the town knew about Jason and Kimberly, so they didn't have to hide a thing. Only when Trini was concerned did they dial down the PDA. There were still slight gestures though, a hand on her back there, a quick kiss on the cheek here, things like that.

Due to the newness of this little relationship, and the secrecy, the three rangers had yet to have an actual date together. Although as far as Trini was concerned, one of their campfires out by the mines should have counted but Kimberly shot that down.

"A date is the three of us together, none of our other friends." Kimberly had said a week ago. She and Jason were the experts, Trini had almost zero dating experience. Hell, before Jason, she didn't even know she was interested in the opposite sex.

Their first 'real date' was the exact reason Jason, Kimberly, and Trini were crammed in the cab of Jason's new, more like ancient and about to fall apart, truck. School had just let out, and Jason had finally put his foot down and decided they needed to do something.

Seeing as how Krispy Kreme was still a ruined wreck, their first option was off the table. Pity, Trini had enjoyed those few times she and Kimberly spent time there. With option A gone, option B was their destination. Another similar shop, but the donuts were lousy and Trini didn't even remember the name of the place. Still, as far as first date destinations go, it was a good start.

Jason, cliché knight in shining armor that he was, immediately paid for all three of them. Kimberly tried to say something but Jason silenced her with a finger to her lips and a comment about taking his girlfriends out.

The gentlemanly behavior was unnecessary, but not unwelcome.

They had only just placed their orders when Trini hit her first snag. Jason and Kimberly immediately took their seats at a booth across from each other, but Trini didn't know who to sit by. Jason must have sensed her unease, he took hold of the sleeve of her hoodie and pulled her to sit beside him. Thankfully, Kimberly had been looking out the window and saw nothing.

Okay, Trini had made it to the date location without any actual major screw-ups. Not bad for her first real date since… ever.

Of course, Trini's winning streak came to an abrupt end shortly later. Kimberly and Jason seemed to be having an alright time talking, with the occasional input from Trini, but otherwise Trini remained quiet and focused on her donut and drink.

Trini wanted to be part of the conversation, but couldn't help this nagging feeling she shouldn't be here. She'd never actually been a third wheel, but it probably felt a lot like this.

Maybe it was the conflicting personalities? Being ex popular crowd, Jason and Kimberly knew how to chat and be social, knew how to act around others, especially the ones they were dating.

What did Trini know? How to avoid said chatting and social interaction. She didn't know how to act around her boyfriend or girlfriend. All she was doing up until this point was nodding her head and offering a word or two here and there. It made Trini feel like a crappy girlfriend.

It might be for the best if Trini just left. Jason had driven them, but the jog back to the other side of town was nothing to a ranger like them. The only real concern would be…

There it was again. That stupid desire to flee, to just run away whenever something threatened those thick steel walls Trini built up around herself for her own protection. What was running going to accomplish here, anyway? Absolutely nothing, even if Kimberly and Jason could easily run her down again, Trini couldn't escape from her own heart.

God, how Trini wanted this to work!

No, no more trying to escape. Trini was staying, and she was going to figure this out damn it!

"Trini? You okay?" Trini realized too late that Kimberly had asked her something but she wasn't attentive enough, and now the pink ranger was eying her with pure concern.

"I'm fine." Trini flashed what she hoped was a placating smile, but the look on Kimberly's face made it obvious her girlfriend was not convinced.

"You can tell us anything. You know that, right?" Jason draped his arm over the seat behind Trini, but made sure to keep his limb a comfortable distance from Trini herself. Had he actually touched her, Trini wasn't sure she wouldn't have welcomed the contact.

"Of course, I do." Trini's face fell, no point in trying to keep up a charade with the two people most likely to see through it.

Kimberly said nothing more, but Trini felt her girlfriend's eyes boring holes through her. Whatever it was she was searching for, Trini had no clue.

Next thing Trini knew, Kimberly's hands were on the table palm up. Understanding the gesture, Trini moved her own hands into Kimberly's. The grip tight enough for Trini to feel, but weak enough she could pull away the moment she wanted to.

"Talk to us." Jason ever so lightly touched his fingertips to Trini's far shoulder. Just like with Kimberly, if Trini wanted to, all she had to do was move less than an inch to be away from the contact.

"I just…" Trini sighed and leaned slightly into Jason's touch, hoping he would get her meaning. The red ranger did, because his next action was to fully drape his arm across Trini's shoulders. Just as the Latina was hoping, the physical contact with Jason calmed herself better than anything. "I want this to work, ya know? And I'm just… ugh, how do you two do this to me?"

"Oh, Trini." Kimberly's lips turned upward in the smallest of grins as she shook her head. "You don't need to try so hard."

"What's that mean?"

"She means, don't try so hard." Jason gently shook Trini while his arm moved lower to encircle her middle. "There isn't anything you're supposed to do other than be you."

"I know he can sound like a hallmark card sometimes, but he knows what he's talking about." Kimberly squeezed Trini's hands softly. "Just hear him out."

Trini stayed quiet, but turned her head to face Jason, making sure her boyfriend knew he possessed her full attention.

"Being in a relationship isn't about doing anything right." Jason began. "We want to spend time with you as you. There is no right way, no wrong way. Just… be you. Stop worrying about trying to do everything right."

Trini stared at him for a moment until she found her voice. "Kim's right, you do sound like a hallmark card."

Kimberly, meanwhile, had chosen a poor time to lean over for a sip of her drink. Trini's last comment made the pink ranger nearly choke on the beverage when the laugh came unbidden. Trini was about to ask if she was okay before Kimberly jerked one hand away to give a thumbs-up.

"I know, but I've never really done this before." Trini swallowed hard.

"Think any of us have?" Kimberly scoffed, coughing and slapping her chest as she got her breathing back under control. "I mean, come on. Whoever thinks they will have a boyfriend and a girlfriend without cheating involved?"

"No, it's not that." Trini bit her lip. "The whole dating thing."

"Wait, so you've never had a girlfriend before?" Jason looked utterly baffled.

"Uh… kinda?" Trini didn't think their first date would be going this direction. Seeing as how Jason and Kimberly literally chasing her down led to their confession mutual feelings, Trini really shouldn't have been surprised. "I mean, a few girls have caught my eye before, but none of them went anywhere. The few that started to…"

"You mom would make you move." Jason finished with a solemn nod. "I get it."

"So… we're technically your first girlfriend and first boyfriend?" Kimberly took one of Trini's hands in both of her own.

"I guess."

"Wow." Kimberly brought Trini's hand up to kiss her knuckles softly. "Well, what Jason said still stands. You don't do anything right, you do what feels right."

"What feels right." Trini repeated, her inner skeptic hesitant. "Sound way too easy."

"It actually is." Jason shrugged. "So just take things slow, and follow what your heart tells you."

"I keep telling him he needs to put in a job application with the card people, but he just won't do it." Kimberly giggled. She might be ruining the moment somewhat, but she knew when Trini wanted to escape the mushier stuff. She'd reached her quota for the day, thank you very much.

"Pity, I bet he'd make a fortune." Trini smiled, much more genuinely this time.

"Hey, if I shared this with the world, how would you two take advantage of my great wisdom?" Jason took the change of subject in stride, laughing right along with his girlfriends.

"Dear lord, he's turning into Zack!" Kimberly gasped in mock horror. "Bring out the pitchforks."

"And torches." Trini supplied.

"No fair, you two can't team up on me!"

Trini and Kimberly shared a look before replying with perfect unison. "We can."

"As fun as this has been, what do you two say we get out of here and go see what trouble we can find elsewhere?" Jason frowned at his only partially eaten donut in front of him. "These things taste terrible, anyway."

"Thank you!"

* * *

 **I think the reason I was having so much trouble was my inability to come up with a concrete plot. The one-shot collection solves that problem quite handily.**

 **Reviews are appreciated more than I can say, and just as before I am very open to suggestions. You can leave them in reviews or PMs. If I can make it work, all suggestions will be added.**

 **I've also toyed with the idea of an M chapter, but if I do it will be separate form here and the first one.**


	2. Nightmares

**This was originally going to be another chapter for Meet Me at Midnight, but I discontinued it in favor of The Jock, The Cheerleader, and The Outcast instead. I had this one mostly finished so all I had to do for this chapter was some editing, changing some parts, and making an ending.**

 **At least that was what was supposed to happen. Once I started, I discovered I had to rewrite almost the entire work to make it fit properly.**

 **Fair warning, this one starts out really dark, but gets better later. Also, this one is more Jason/Trini centric. Kimberly is mentioned but barely shown.**

 **Enjoy.**

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"So disappointing." Rita's mocking voice made Jason want to rip his own ears off. He would gladly endure that pain just to not have to hear the traitorous ranger speak anymore.

"Let me go, and I'll show you disappointment." Jason snarled as he wrestled with the bindings holding him to the boat. Try as he might, Rita's magic was damn strong, too strong for him to break.

"Ooh, we do have a spine under there." Rita giggled, her claw tipped finger dragging across Jason's jaw. "Mmm… the fun we could have."

Jason couldn't jerk his head away from the contact fast enough.

"Don't you dare touch him!" Kimberly growled at Jason's side.

"Just wait 'til we get outta here." Trini joined in from the opposite side of her girlfriend.

"We?" Rita tilted her head to the side curiously, that shark tooth grin never leaving her lips.

"Our friends." Jason shot back, eyes alight with defiant fire. As long as Jason had his team, his friends, his girlfriends, there was nothing Rita could throw at them they couldn't defeat. "You don't stand a chance."

"Friends?" Rita made a dramatic effort of looking around her. "What friends? We are the only ones here."

Not understanding, Jason turned his head to check his flanks where he had just seen his fellow rangers moments before. Kimberly and Trini were still present, but there was no sign of Zack or Billy. In their place, were four ropes leading down into the murky depths of the bay.

"Billy!" Kimberly frantically called out. "Zack!"

No answer, not even a wiggling of the ropes.

"Poor little rangers, all alone." Rita pouted, voice dripping with mock sympathy. "How's it feel? I found it quite liberating."

"I'll kill you!" Trini screamed, her struggle against the bindings growing.

"How cute." Rita's hand shot out and seized Jason by the throat, her claws cutting into his flesh like razorblades. "You still think you can win?"

"I told you don't touch him!" Even though she was tied every bit as badly as the rest of them, Kimberly wasn't one to be cowed.

"Oooh, protective, aren't we?" Rita released Jason and sauntered over to Kimberly, whom had leveled a beast of a death glare at the older woman. Even with Rita directly before her, the pink ranger didn't back down.

"Think you're tough, don't you?" Kimberly goaded the green ranger. "Too chicken to actually fight, you just want to…"

Kimberly was interrupted with a sharp smack across her face, Rita's clawed fingertips opening fine wounds in her skin.

"That the best you got?" Kimberly grinned, even as she spat out blood into the water below her. "I've taken worse hits from your piece of crap putties! Bring it on, bitch!"

"Such defiance!" Rita sounded almost pleased as she turned her gaze to Jason. "Take notes, red."

Without any further warning, Rita struck Kimberly again. This time, Kimberly's body went limp on impact, only the ropes keeping her from falling into the water.

At first, Jason thought Kimberly was faking it. Another attempt to get under Rita's skin, or to goad her into letting one of them loose for a counterattack. Jason watched his girlfriend go limp and when she didn't respond, he next thought she'd been simply knocked out.

It took a moment for it to set in that Kimberly was no longer breathing.

"K… Kim?" Trini stuttered in absolute shock while Jason could only stare, completely unable to form a coherent thought, let alone speak.

There was nothing but silence.

"Three down, aren't we having fun?" Rita cackled with maniacal glee. "Who should I play with next?" Rita pointed her staff back and forth between Trini and Jason. "Hmm… red or yellow, decisions decisions."

"You must feel pretty tough beating on us when we're tied up." Jason snapped, instantly catching Rita's attention as she approached Trini next. "Too cowardly to do anything else?"

As Kimberly proved, it was not a good idea to taunt Rita, but Jason had to keep the green ranger distracted from his girlfriend. At least until he could come up with some kind of plan. Everything else could come later.

Rita eyed Jason with interest for only a moment before she turned back to Trini. "You're too easy, red. This morsel is a bit more… delectable."

When Rita ran her fingers over Trini's cheek, the Latina's teeth lashed out in an attempt to bite off her digits, only missing because of Rita's own reflexes.

"Tsk tsk, that wasn't very polite." Rita pouted before seizing Trini by the jaw. "Such childish behavior requires punishment, don't you think, red?"

Jason's insides were twisting into knots even worse than before. Try as he might, there was nothing he could do. No plan, no moves, he was well and truly powerless to so much as slow Rita down.

"I just want you to know one last thing." Rita's lips turned up to reveal rows of impossibly sharp teeth. "Everything that has happened? Is all your fault."

The blink of an eye, that was how fast Rita moved. One moment she was standing there monologuing, the next had the bottom tip of her staff driven through Trini's abdomen.

Time seemed to stop, save the streams of crimson blood already running down the weapon, staining its golden surface red. Trini's eyes had gone wider than dinner plates, their gaze locked on the weapon protruding from her body.

Jason was frozen in absolute horror. Kimberly and the others end had come relatively quickly and cleanly, not like this. Rita seemed to be taking some perverse pleasure in the pain she was inflicting on the yellow ranger.

Trini to her credit betrayed no emotion beyond her facial expression, which was contorted in pure agony. She wasn't about to give Rita the satisfaction of making her suffering vocal.

At least until Rita tore her weapon free.

Trini did cry out in pain then, along with a torrent of blood flowing down her body from the opened wound. After that one cry, she bit hard into her lip to stifle anymore sounds, but the tears falling down her cheeks revealed much.

"See you around, red." Rita gave a little wave and turned to leave. She made it three steps before stopping. "Oh, and to show I'm not completely without mercy."

Rita waved her hand and several of the roped binding Jason and Trini shook themselves loose. Enough for the two rangers to get an arm loose each, but that was it.

Jason frantically tore at the ropes still holding him, but Rita's magic must still be enhancing them. For all of his strength, he still couldn't break them.

"Jason…" Hearing Trini's voice then was even more disturbing than seeing the injury the girl had just suffered. Any other time Jason would have liked his girlfriend's voice, not now. Not when she sounded so weak, so fragile.

Jason looked up to see Trini, deathly pale and breathing far too heavily, reaching her hand out for him. Jason's own hand was extending to meet hers before he even completed the thought to do so.

He would have taken her hand in his, had Jason actually been able to reach Trini's hand. They were less than an inch apart when Jason realized he was leaning as far as the bindings would allow. He struggled so hard to cross that last inch, to hold his girlfriend's hand in this last moment, but he simply couldn't.

"J…" Trini attempted to croak one more time but the one letter was all she managed before her hand fell, and her body went limp just like Kimberly's.

"Trini?" Jason swallowed hard. "Trini!"

No answer.

"TRIN…" Jason yelled for his girlfriend but stopped short when he noticed his surroundings had changed. Gone were the docks, the bay, and his team. They were instead replaced with Jason's dark, but quite empty, bedroom.

It was a nightmare, that was it. A tiny part of Jason was able to understand that, but the rest certainly did not. All he could think about was that his friends and team surely had to be in danger.

Jason was out the window before his brain even processed he was fully awake.

While Jason's mind was unaware of his destination as he zoomed through the cool night, his feet already knew where he was going.

In the sprint to Billy's house, only a tiny bit of Jason's panic had receded. Certainly not enough to stop him, or make him realize what he was doing.

Jason skidded to a stop before Billy's window and peered inside. Just as Jason was hoping, the blue ranger was out cold, the rise and fall of his chest a reassurance of precious value.

There were no intruders, Billy didn't drown again, he was perfectly fine.

It wasn't enough for Jason. Billy was alright, sure. What about Zack? Kimberly and Trini? They could be under attack right now and in need of help.

Jason dashed to each house, one by one.

Billy had simply been the closest, next up was Kimberly. Just like Billy, the pink ranger was sleeping peacefully, completely unharmed and safe.

Jason heavily contemplated entering her room and waking her up just for a little more vocal assurance his girlfriend was truly alright. All of the rangers had an unspoken agreement to wake each other up in emergencies like this, especially with Jason and Kimberly being in a relationship.

The thought was an appealing one, but Jason eventually decided to let the girl remain asleep. Sleep came difficult for all of them at times, with Trini being the worst of the five. Kimberly needed the rest, so Jason took solace in the steady movement of his girlfriend's sleeping breath.

Zack was the third stop, who almost sent Jason into a panic attack when he saw the black ranger only laying half in his bed. Jason was two seconds from breaking into the window to help when he noticed the way Zack was laying. He had simply fallen out of bed in the middle of the night and was too heavy a sleeper to wake up. As awkward as the position was, Zack was too out of it to notice.

All that remained was Trini. By now, Jason was aware enough to know how foolish he was being. He was overreacting to a simple nightmare. Even so, the one time he didn't check might very well be the one time something happened. Especially considering out of all of them, Trini had been attacked in her room once before.

Not to mention the still fresh visions Jason's dream had given him. Suffice to say, Jason would never be able to return home until he was sure Trini was safe.

Scrambling up the tree outside of Trini's house, Jason looked into the window like he had done the rest of his team.

The bed was empty.

Even worse, Trini's nigh permanently locked window was wide open.

Whatever calm Jason had managed to restore while checking on his team evaporated immediately. He might not be as agile as some of his fellow rangers, but Jason was able to jump and scramble through the opening with minimal effort.

Jason expected to find signs of a fight or struggle, but found none. The room was in the same condition he had seen it last Wednesday when he and Kimberly walked Trini home after dark. Not even the bedcovers looked all that disturbed. All in all, there were no hints Trini had been attacked, but it left an important question unanswered.

Where was Trini?

Hearing a noise by the open window, Jason whirled around expecting to face an intruder.

Even in the shadows of night, there was no mistaking the form of Trini gracefully slipping through her own window. While Jason couldn't see her face, he could see her silhouette drop into a combat stance expecting a fight.

"Jason?" Trini's body language relaxed when she figured out who her guest was. Reaching over to her bedside table, she switched on a small lamp, bathing the room in its soft glow. "What are you…"

The moment Trini turned on the light and saw Jason, she crossed the room in an instant. Saying nothing more, she took Jason's hand in hers and guided his middle and index fingers to a specific spot beneath her jaw.

Thump.

There it was.

Thump thump.

Through the pulse point on Trini's neck, Jason could feel his girlfriend's heartbeat. Real, tangible proof she was alive and standing before him. He closed his eyes and focused on the rhythmic beating.

Trini remained silent, waiting patiently until Jason was ready to move his fingers.

"Can you… life your shirt for a sec?" Jason knew how idiotic he sounded right now, but he needed for his own peace of mind to make sure.

"If you wanted me naked, you could have asked, dude." Trini flashed a warm smile, her attempt to lighten the mood obvious. When she noticed how that didn't work, she instantly lifted the hem of her shirt some.

Despite not being the biggest fan of physical contact, Trini made no objections when Jason's fingers trailed along the exact spot he'd seen the girl stabbed. There wasn't a mark on her, not a single drop of blood, just unblemished skin.

"Thank you." Jason spoke after a while, slowly pulling his hands away.

"Bad dream." Trini dropped her shirt. She didn't need to ask, she knew full well what Jason was feeling. "I couldn't sleep either. Just that kind of night for everyone, I guess. You check on the others?"

"Already checked." If Jason hadn't, he and Trini would probably be doing so right now. "Asleep."

"Want to call Kim over?" Trini wasn't trying to weasel out of her boyfriend's issues, but comforting was not one of her finest qualities. Plus, they worked better as a group.

"No, she's out too. Better to let her sleep."

"Okay, feel like heading home?" Trini glanced over at the open window.

"Not really." Honestly, Jason didn't know what awaited him if he tried to go back to sleep. More nightmares, restless sleep at best, none of it seemed all that appealing.

"Wait here." Trini disappeared from the room. Before Jason had a chance to ask what she was doing, the Latina reappeared with a pair of old house shoes. They were too big for Trini, maybe they were her dad's. "Put these on."

At Jason's confused look, Trini motioned toward his feet. Looking down, he was greeted by the sight of his own toes. He had been so blindsided with fear and worry, he hadn't even grabbed shoes or a shirt before rushing off to find his team.

Trini would normally have had a witty comment on Jason's lack of clothing, but not this time. Out of all the rangers, she best understood.

Jason had just slipped the shoes on when Trini grabbed a jacket from the back of a nearby chair and tossed it over at Jason. He caught the article of clothing but there was something awfully familiar about it.

"Is this mine?" Jason held up the jacket for a better look. Even with the lamplight he could barely make out the red color, but the biggest clue was the size. It was much too large for Trini's smaller frame.

Trini cleared her throat nervously. "Might be." At Jason's arched eyebrow, she quickly composed herself. "You left it here a couple weeks back, you going to wear it or not?"

"Who would have thought you'd be so sentimental?" Jason slipped his arms into the garment not bothering to hide his smile. Mere minutes in Trini's presence, and Jason was already feeling so much better.

"It's big, smells good, and warm, so sue me." Trini scowled, but the look lacked much of its usual bite. "Just don't tell Zack, I'll never hear the end of it."

"We'll both never hear the end of it." Jason shuddered at the thought. "So, obviously you're planning something. Care to let me in on the secret?"

"Come on." Trini beckoned from the window she was currently sitting halfway through. She jumped out and into the same tree Jason used to get in. "Follow me."

Jason, unsure what Trini was getting at, followed the girl into the tree then onto the roof of her house. Once there, Jason noticed the blanket lain out with a few other items. That explained why she wasn't in her bed when he first arrived.

"When I was little, my dad and I used to go stargazing." Trini laid down on the blanket, patting the spot next to her. Once Jason was down too, she continued. "We haven't done it for years, not since… well, not since family life was a little happier."

"You ought to try up by the mines." Jason laced his fingers behind his head. "I don't know much about stargazing, but the sky might be a bit clearer out of town. Make it easier to see, I think."

"You're actually right, and I did think of that." Trini shrugged, mimicking Jason's pose. "But it's easier to just climb up here than to jog all the way out to the mines."

"Good point." Jason agreed, zipping up his jacket. Good thing Trini had the thing for him to wear. It was a cool night, not the time you want to be out and about shoeless and shirtless.

"See that group of stars there?" Trini pointed up at the sky before launching into an explanation of constellations across the night sky. Most of the names and words went right over his head, unfortunately.

"I know Little Dipper and Big Dipper, but that's about it." Jason had confessed early on, earning him an elbow to the ribs. Followed by a remark from Trini that he 'needed to get out more'.

For all her bluster, Trini didn't seem to mind. She carried on pointing out various shapes in the stars, along with their names.

"This is nice." Trini blurted out. "Us, up here."

"I like it." Jason had been so enthralled by Trini's words, he didn't notice until right now they were nestled up to each other hip to hip. Something neither ranger minded, or called attention to.

"Usually when we do something…" Trini started.

"We have Kimberly with us." Jason finished.

Trini snorted in fake, or maybe real, disgust. "That stupid sentence finishing, how do we doing that?"

"I haven't a clue." Jason chuckled. "It just happens. Me and Kim wondered the same thing."

"Still mega creepy." Trini shook her head. "Speaking of Kim, why don't we do more stuff together?"

"It probably hasn't sunk in properly yet." Jason pondered over his girlfriend's words. Jason had these preconceived notions about what a relationship was like and that involved only a single other person.

The fact that Trini and Kimberly shared that position was something Jason's conscious mind was still adjusting too. Something Jason was working on, but these things took time.

"We should fix that." Trini plopped her head down on Jason's now covered chest.

"Oh?" Jason tilted his head to look at the girl using him as a human pillow. Seeing as how he couldn't see her eyes because of the way she was looking, Jason figured out Trini was avoiding eye contact.

"Yeah, for starters, you interrupted my stargazing. I think you need to make it up to me."

"And how am I going to do that?"

"By staying up here with me for a while."

"It would be my pleasure."

* * *

 **Had to rewrite almost the whole thing, but at least it's now done. Leave a review/comment and let me know how I did. I am still very much open to suggestions.**


	3. Care

**This one kind of came out as a bit of a rush job, seeing as how I'm leaving for almost a week for a job on Wednesday morning. Today was the only day I was going to be able to get to do it.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

"Uh, Jason? You feeling okay there?"

"I'm fine, Zack." Jason most certainly didn't feel fine, but his friends didn't need to know that. Besides, he was a ranger, even if he was sick, it was probably going to go away any time now.

"Jason?"

Of course, life just had to curse the red ranger with the arrival of one of his girlfriends. Heaven help him if Kimberly even suspected he was anything but one hundred percent.

"Hey, Kim." Jason put on one of his most convincing healthy looks as he closes the locker. "What's up?"

"You're sick." Kimberly was glaring now, not a good sign.

"What?" Jason laughed, even as his guts gave an uncomfortable lurch. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm not sick."

"Then why aren't you wearing your jacket?"

"It's hot in here."

"Dude, it's freezing." Zack just had to add his own two cents.

"Huh, weird." Jason was verbally back peddling now and he knew it.

"You look a little pale too." Kimberly pressed the attack, both verbally and physically by stepping right in front of him. Before he could even react, the pink ranger had a hand on his forehead. "Feel pretty warm too. I think you have a fever, Jason."

"I'm fine." Jason repeated.

"What did you have for breakfast?" Kimberly's eyes bore holes through Jason's. It was only because of his own willpower he managed to hold her gaze instead of shying away.

"Umm… I was in a hurry, had to skip it." Jason lied surprisingly smoothly. He hadn't been in a hurry, but his stomach at the time had made it abundantly clear that if he did eat something, he'd be seeing it again later. In a far more unpleasant form.

"Okay, fine." Kimberly sighed in what almost sounded like defeat. Except this was Kimberly Hart, she didn't do defeat, at least not this easily. "You brought this upon yourself. Zack, do you mind?"

"Yes, ma'am." Zack saluted, and promptly swept Jason's leg out from under him with a swift swing of his own.

Under normal circumstances, Jason would have seen the attack coming a mile off with his ranger reflexes. Any one of the rangers could have easily blocked, and then followed up with a counter. If not, they could have at least moved to keep their footing.

Jason was able to do neither.

Between the slow reaction time, and his difficulty focusing, Jason suddenly found the linoleum tile rushing up to say hello. The red ranger would have faceplanted right then and there, had Zack and Kimberly not caught him by seizing an arm each.

"Okay, so I may be feeling a little off." Jason admitted. "But I'm not sick."

"Stubborn idiot." Kimberly shook her head. "Do I need to beat some sense into you?"

"You'd probably have better luck making Trini wear frilly pink." Zack snickered as the pair guided Jason back to his feet, where it became apparent he was not quite steady anymore.

From the moment Jason first lost his footing, the hallways were starting to spin and even now it hadn't stopped yet. It was clear, to Jason at least, that if somebody wasn't holding him up he'd be getting very well acquainted with the floor. To make matters even worse, the queasy feeling in his stomach was growing more intense. The last thing he needed was to throw up in the middle of the hallway.

"That's it." Kimberly declared. "I'm taking you home."

"Let me handle it." Zack doing something selfless as escorting his ill friend home? Jason had to have hallucinated that one. "You've been skipping too much lately, nobody bats an eye when I do it."

"Okay." Kimberly obviously didn't like it, but she evidently trusted Zack enough with Jason's wellbeing for the short term. "I'll let Trini and Billy know. I'll stop by later after school to check up on you."

"I'm not dying, sheesh." Jason attempted to brush off Kimberly's concerns, but was almost undone when Zack almost let go of his arm. Seeing as how Kimberly had already stepped back, Zack was the only thing keeping Jason standing. He didn't fully release the hold, but the message was clear. 'Shut up and quit pretending'.

"Alright, fess up." At least Zack waited until Kimberly was out of earshot before beginning his interrogation. "How are you actually feeling?"

"I…" Jason started to answer but Zack did that pretend-to-let-go thing again, making Jason instantly change his tune. "I feel like crap."

"Yeah." Zack chuckled. "Thought so. You should know better than to try the pretend act with Kimberly. Girl's like a bloodhound when it comes to you and Trini."

The pair made it to the parking lot before Jason's legs all but gave out on him. Zack, whom had been helping Jason walk by holding him by the arm, said nothing and immediately slung the red rangers arm over his shoulders to half carry him, and half drag him to his truck.

Never in Jason's darkest nightmares did he ever imagine he'd be allowing Zack free reign to drive his beloved, although shoddy, truck. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so Jason handed the keys over without complaint.

The drive to the Scott residence was a blur to Jason. He'd probably passed out shortly after they started. One second Zack was pulling out of the parking lot, the next the black ranger was shaking him awake.

"Come on, boss." Zack all but had to carry Jason up to his room, the red ranger's legs were just refusing to cooperate anymore. "Up we go."

"Thanks." Jason was unceremoniously thrown, face first, onto his mattress.

"Zack's chauffeur service, at your service." Jason wasn't looking at him, but he could just imagine the dramatic bow Zack was making right now.

Getting rid of Zack was easy, he wasn't planning on staying to begin with. Just long enough to make sure that Jason was just feeling a little sick, and not at the mercy of something far worse. He was content to leave his friend to sleep it off. Good thing too, neither Zack nor Jason would have been too keen on Zack babysitting him.

"Hey, sleepyhead." Jason woke to Kimberly gently shaking him awake. He must have slipped from conscious yet again shortly after being deposited by Zack.

"Kim?" Jason groggily rolled over onto his back. "Thought you had class?"

"It's three thirty, yo." Trini appeared over Trini's shoulder. She masked it well, but Jason liked to think he could see it when his girlfriend was concerned. "Why can't you sleep like a normal person?"

Kimberly sighed, this time in irritation, before helping Jason to lay more properly on the bed with his back to the headboard. "Because Zack is lazy, and just tossed Jason here. Guess we should be glad he at least got him to his room."

"I half expected to find him on the front porch." Trini took a seat on the bed on Jason's opposite side while Kimberly put her hand to his forehead just like earlier. The cool touch like heaven on Jason's hot skin. "Still a bit warm, but not too bad. Definitely better."

Jason was certainly feeling better. The worst of the nausea had passed in his sleep, and he mostly just felt overheated and exhausted. The discomfort that remained would probably be abated if he could manage to get some food down.

"Think you're up to eating anything?" Trini produced a small plastic bowl from seemingly nowhere. "Brought some of my mom's homemade soup. Uhh… well I hijacked the recipe so it's probably not as good, but still.

"You told me it was just soup." Kimberly stared at their girlfriend with utter bewilderment. "You made that yourself?"

"My mom wasn't going to make it, obviously." Trini shrugged. "What?"

"Never thought I'd see you do something so…" Kimberly pondered.

"Domestic?" Jason finished for his girlfriend, caught equally flatfooted.

"Are you going to eat the damn soup or not?" Trini huffed and all but shoved the container into Jason's hands, her flush slowly rising.

Jason was going to argue he wasn't hungry, when his stomach chose that moment to grumble loudly. Both girls arched eyebrows and Jason had no choice but to comply.

The soup was… less than stellar, but Jason wolfed it down anyway. Out of both starvation, and a desire not to hurt Trini's feelings. She could pretend all she wanted, but Jason knew she was self-conscious. Right now, it was mostly the hunger.

"What are you two doing here anyway?" Jason had to eat slowly, lest his insides decide they were unhappy with his choice of food.

"Where else would we be?" Trini tilted her head slightly.

"I don't know, at home? Hanging out with the others. Stuff like that?"

"Jason, out boyfriend is sick." Kimberly poked her boyfriend in the leg, hard. "What kind of girlfriends would we be if we left him out in the cold?"

"Pretty crappy ones." Trini added.

"Besides, what's the point of having two girlfriends if you can't get stuff like this?" Kimberly motioned between herself and Trini. "I mean, there's the obvious eye candy of two hot girlfriends, but that's just a bonus."

"It's just a little bug." Jason reassured them. "I'll be over it in no time. You two should be worried. What if it's some super bug? If it can get me, it can get you."

"Feh." Kimberly waved a dismissive hand before moving to settle in curled up into Jason's side. "Are you kidding me? I have an immune system tougher than steel. I'll be fine."

"Face it, Jason." Trini moved to Jason's other side to mirror their girlfriend's pose. The bed was large enough for two people to sit side by side, but three? Not so much. With Jason in the middle, the girls had to sit half hanging off the side, not that either seemed to mind. "We're not going anywhere."

* * *

"This is all your fault, Scott!"

"Ouch, Trini. Using his last name? That's pretty brutal."

"Shut up, Kim!"

"I said I was sorry." Jason apologized for the… what was he up to now, twenty?

"You gave me the plague!" Had Trini not been confined to the bed, she'd probably be trying to strangle Jason right about now. Fortunately for the red ranger, the yellow and pink rangers were both bedridden with the same ailment that befell Jason a few days ago.

It had taken Jason less than a day to overcome it, but Trini was being an unruly patient. Kimberly was amused by the whole situation more than anything.

"Look on the bright side." Kimberly shifted closer to Trini. "Since we're both stuck here, we can cuddle all we want. Think of it, Trini." Kimberly wrapped an arm around her girlfriend. "Infinite cuddles all evening long."

"I'm not your teddy bear." Trini shoved Kimberly away, not as roughly as Jason would have expected, before scooting an inch or two away. Not that she had much room to retreat from under the covers of Kimberly's bed. Hers was even smaller than Jason's.

"You're absolutely right." Kimberly grinned like a loon before launching herself at Trini, wrapping the shorter girl in both her arms this time. "You're not a teddy bear, you're my Trini bear."

Trini said no more, but had no room to escape any further. She settled for crossing her arms across her chest and putting on her best scowl. The result came out looking more humorous than tough.

"Okay, easy ladies." Jason chuckled, he couldn't help it. "Again, I'm sorry, Trini. But if it helps any, you have me to look after you two."

"Aww." Kimberly cooed, smile growing larger. "What would we do without you, Jason?"

"Probably be stuck with that." Jason pointed to an unmoving, and agitated, Trini.

"Seriously." Trini grumbled, looking anywhere except at her boyfriend and girlfriend. "I guess… thanks, Jason. You know, for… you know."

"Hey." Jason shared the soft smile Kimberly wore. "What's the point of having a boyfriend if he doesn't take care of you when you're sick?"

* * *

 **I hate to say it, but this will probably be the last chapter for now. Mostly due to a lack of ideas, I have to take a break from the Power Rangers fandom. I'm either going to take a break from writing, or return to my unfinished Skyrim story.**

 **I might return to this little collection whenever the second movie comes out, whenever that it.**


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